Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Artist Of The Day: Farewell Fighter

“Connect the dots, ‘cause there’s a picture in these lines.”

As music fans, all of us have a handful of defining moments: turning points, discoveries, and realizations that have shaped our tastes and, by proxy, our identities. Arguably one of the most significant turning points for me was listening to pop-rock group Farewell Fighter’s “Where I Belong” for the first time. I can describe each point in the song as if I’m reliving it for the first time. That mysterious opening line, one I mull over to this very day, the blast of syncopated guitar and drums that blow the song open before making way for a surprisingly intimate, introspective passage sandwiched between the verses and the chorus, between frustration and acceptance, between despair and growth.

The funny thing is that even with two years removing me from that eureka moment, the band’s music hasn’t lost any of its impact for me. It’s a band that exists on the boundary between adolescence and adulthood, and as it turns out, part of maturity is to realize that the process of maturing is one that never ends. Farewell Fighter makes its peace with that truth through its music: consider it a “gateway band,” connecting the little dots, the everyday incidents that frustrate us and mire us, to reveal a picture both relatable and oddly universal.

In a stroke of good timing, the band has resurfaced just in time for the season of college applications, right when a gaggle of teens (myself included) will need its music dearly. Challenges, its first full-length and its first release on a label, is slated for release in July. In the meantime, you can stream the band’s new single “Grow” here and find more information on the band’s official website, where you can also download its first EP for free.